I had the privilege of hosting two remarkable founders from Y Combinator - Sam Mendel from Network Ocean and Philip Johnston from Star Cloud - who are tackling one of the most pressing challenges in modern computing infrastructure: the exponential growth in data center energy consumption and cooling demands.

Both companies are pursuing radical solutions to the same fundamental problem, but through dramatically different approaches. Sam’s Network Ocean is developing underwater and floating barge data centers that leverage the ocean’s natural cooling properties, while Philip’s Star Cloud is pioneering space-based data centers that can scale beyond terrestrial limitations.

What struck me most about their conversation was how both are responding to the same crisis - the AI boom is driving compute demand that’s outpacing our current infrastructure’s ability to efficiently support it.

The technical advantages each approach offers are compelling in their own right. Sam’s ocean-based solution achieves a Power Usage Effectiveness lower than industry standard, translating to cost savings for customers while eliminating the massive cooling infrastructure that consumes enormous amounts of water and energy. Philip’s space-based approach promises even more dramatic economics, with data centers costing millions less than their terrestrial equivalents. Both founders emphasized that they’re not just building alternative data centers - they’re fundamentally reimagining how we approach computing infrastructure at scale.

What became clear during our discussion is that these aren’t competing visions but complementary approaches to humanity’s expansion into previously untapped frontiers. Sam envisions a future where ocean-based infrastructure could power entire floating cities and provide grid-level energy storage, while Philip sees space as the ultimate scaling solution for compute-intensive applications that will eventually require Dyson sphere-level energy harvesting.

With Network Ocean’s 200-kilowatt pilot launching soon and Star Cloud’s first satellite scheduled for orbit in August, both companies are moving rapidly from concept to reality. The convergence of AI demand, energy constraints, and innovative deployment platforms suggests we’re witnessing the early stages of a fundamental transformation in how and where we build our digital infrastructure.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Data Center Revolution

05:08 The Technical Advantages of Underwater Data Centers

10:34 Building in Space: Challenges and Opportunities

16:00 The Future of Data Centers: Demand and National Security

21:33 Maintenance and Longevity of Ocean and Space Data Centers

31:15 The Growing Demand for Data Centers

35:58 The Limits of AI and Energy

42:21 Unlocking the Ocean Economy

51:50 Future Plans and Opportunities

In this episode of Pirates Only, I dive into the world of innovative weather technology with three incredible founders: Alex Levy from Atmo, Austin Tindle from Sourcerer, and Andrew Song from Make Sunsets.

Here are some of the topics we cover:

✨ AI Meets Meteorology

Atmo is revolutionizing weather forecasting by leveraging cutting-edge AI, similar to ChatGPT but for atmospheric science, delivering unprecedented accuracy to governments and organizations around the world.

🌊 Oceanic Data Revolution

Sourcerer's innovative long-duration balloons are gathering vital atmospheric data over oceans, an area previously lacking critical information, fundamentally transforming our predictive capabilities.

🌋 Cooling the Planet, Volcano-Style

Make Sunsets is pioneering solar geoengineering by releasing reflective sulfur dioxide clouds into the stratosphere, safely mimicking volcanic cooling to combat global warming.

🤝 Strategic Alliances for Impact

Atmo and Sourcerer’s just-announced partnership aims to deploy balloons for hurricane forecasting, potentially saving countless lives and billions in climate-related damage.

🌦️ Geoengineering Ethics

Make Sunsets openly addresses the ethical and environmental considerations surrounding geoengineering, emphasizing cautious optimism and responsible innovation.

🌎 Climate Control for the Earth

This emerging synergy among tech startups is creating a holistic approach to climate control, highlighting the human potential to proactively manage Earth’s climate.

Bring your sun screen - this episode is hot.

Show Links:

• US Spending on Climate Damage Nears $1 Trillion Per Year
• 1991 Eruption of Mount Pinatubo
• Exclusive: Sorcerer raises $3.9M for weather balloons
• EPA Press Release on Make Sunsets
• Make Sunsets Response to the EPA
• Southeast Asia's AI Weather Transition Begins in the Philippines
• Sixth typhoon in a month makes landfall in Philippines
• The World's Southernmost Active Volcano In Antarctica Spews Gold Dust
• Buy Cooling Credits from Make Sunsets
• Sofar - Unlocking Ocean Data for Science, Society, and Industry

In this episode of Pirates Only I invited two of my Black Flag colleagues Andrew Couillard, our Program Director, and Matias Zorrilla, who leads first-look reviews, to pull back the curtain on how we choose and champion deep-tech founders.

In this mailbag-style Q&A we celebrate crossing 600+ applications since our April launch and preview our first cohort.

Andrew walks through the six-week curriculum, from “Raise the Flag” orientation to a literal pirate-ship dinner that cements our lifelong commitment.

Matias breaks down what makes an application pop: a hair-on-fire problem, a uniquely qualified team, and a deck that’s sharp, concise, and visually polished. We share the check sizes we write ($250k–$1 million from Harpoon) and the strategic firepower founders get in return: warm intros, government go-to-market guidance, and access to partners like Palantir.

Along the way we trade green- and red-flag founder traits, cold-email hacks, and the one question every entrepreneur should ask a VC in the fundraising process.

If you’re gearing up to fundraise, or just curious how Black Flag thinks, hit play and sail with us. See you on deck!

In our latest Pirates Only adventure, we trade surfboards for star-ships and jackhammers for ion thrusters, asking a deceptively simple question: what happens when you treat the whole Solar System like one giant opportunity?  To find out, I sit down with two founders who are attacking humanity’s metals bottleneck from opposite directions.

Matthew Gialich, co-founder & CEO of AstroForge, believes platinum-group metals are too valuable to keep digging out of Earth's diesel-powered pits.  His answer is to send small, replicable spacecraft to near-Earth asteroids, vaporize the regolith, magnetically separate the PGMs, and haul home billions.

In this episode of Pirates Only I sat down with industry leaders Ben from K-Scale Labs, Ritwik Pavan from Hardware Nation, and Mehul Nariyawala from Matic Robots to discuss the evolving landscape of personal robotics and their potential to become commonplace in our homes.

We explored how advancements in technology, decreasing component costs, and improved supply chains are paving the way for affordable, practical home robots. The conversation covered the balance between ambitious humanoid robots and highly specialized robotic solutions designed to perform specific household tasks with efficiency and reliability.

Additionally, we considered how emerging technologies such as self-driving vehicles, augmented reality, and brain-computer interfaces could transform our interactions with robots, creating seamless integration into everyday life. The consensus was clear: the future of personal robotics lies in accessible, intuitive designs that blend sophisticated automation with realistic pricing, bringing robotics from futuristic concepts into everyday practicality.

We explored everything from Matic's amazing and quiet floor-cleaning robot (my kids named ours “Mo" from Wall-E) to Ben’s open-source humanoids. It’s wild to think we’re already living in a world where your vacuum might be smarter than your car.

What really hit home for me was the idea that robots aren’t just gadgets, they’re starting to feel like part of the family. We talked about the importance of design, character, and even a little personality. Taste, as it turns out, might be the secret ingredient that sets great robotics apart.

We also dipped into the future of AI wearables, like smart glasses and even brain implants. Let’s just say if you’ve ever wanted a Star Wars-style droid companion on your shoulder (like I do), the next decade might be your moment.

Let's get personal, with personal robotics.

Featured Guests:

In this episode of Pirates Only, we sit down with three expert storytellers shaping the narratives behind leading deep tech startups: Emily Gold (OPFOR Media), Federico Gardin (Sentinel Studios), and Thomas Kim (Asimov Collective). Together, they explore why storytelling isn’t just important, it’s critical for deep tech companies navigating complex sectors like defense technology, robotics, and frontier innovation.

Discover how immersive 3D animations make sophisticated defense systems understandable, how thoughtful brand design can translate hard tech into captivating stories, and how ghostwriting and narrative strategy turn deep tech founders into industry thought leaders. We also dive into the evolving role of AI in creative work, emphasizing the unmatched value of authentic human storytelling in raising capital, recruiting talent, and establishing market trust.

If you’re building in deep tech and want to transform your complex ideas into compelling narratives, this episode is your blueprint.

Featured Guests

Links & Resources

In this debut episode of Pirates Only, we’re exploring the vast potential of blue tech, the frontier of maritime innovation reshaping how we view the ocean as the next great domain for technological breakthroughs. Joined by visionary founders Nelson Mills (Vatn Systems), David Zagaynov (Poseidon Aerospace), and Will O’Brien (Ulysses), we discuss the exciting developments in ocean technology and why experts are calling the ocean the “next space.”

From autonomous underwater vehicles navigating without GPS to sea gliders revolutionizing cargo logistics between islands, our guests dive into the toughest engineering challenges posed by saltwater corrosion, immense ocean pressure, and navigation hurdles beneath the waves. Discover the emerging innovation hubs in Rhode Island and San Francisco, learn why underwater communication and robotics represent the next big leap in AI-driven technology, and uncover the fascinating future of oceanic treasure hunting, sustainable shipping, and even potential dialogues with dolphins and whales.

Join us as we sail into the future of technology, ecology, and geopolitics—where the mysteries of the deep could unlock unprecedented economic opportunities and critical solutions for our planet.

Featured Guests:

Highlights: